It was way past bedtime when a knock on the door forced Hayden's mind back to her surroundings. She rubbed her eyes with her hands as she got up to open the door. On the other side was Isla, looking equally as sleep-deprived as Hayden did.

"Where were you?" Hayden questioned.

"With the pack." Isla said, falling onto the mattress.

It had been at least two weeks since she mysteriously rebirthed and she had accomplished nothing. Neither did she figure out the mystery, nor did she claim the throne. Saying that she was growing impatient would be an understatement.

"Don't test my patience, Isla." Hayden said. 

"What now?" Isla asked, rolling her eyes at Hayden. Sure, she hadn't done anything but at that moment, Hayden was tempted to snap at anyone who merely made eye contact with her.

"We haven't done anything in my favor and you can't even elaborate! What were you doing with the pack?" Hayden asked, her voice growing louder with every word.

"Noah thought he saw you with the Houston's. The pack wanted you dead so that's what they did." Isla said.

"He thought he saw me there?" Hayden asked with suspicion. It would be hard to mistake her curly brown hair and her toned almond skin.

If he really thought it was me, why did he take the information to the pack instead of finishing me himself?  Hayden questioned herself. 

"That's what he told us." Isla said, hoping Hayden didn't see a flaw in the story.

"But then you realized that I wasn't there." Hayden said, waiting for Isla to continue.

"The coven realized we were there and we had no choice. We had to kill them." Isla said, her mind racing back to the little girl's face, filled with pain and fear.

"You killed them?" Hayden exclaimed. The thought of all those men and women laying dead flashed before her eyes.

"Unfortunately." Isla said, her heart filled with guilt.

Before Hayden could open her mouth to question Isla further, her heart dropped as realization hit her. She pulled her phone out of her front pocket as she looked for Valeries' number.

"What's wrong?" Isla asked with worry.

"Valerie is a Houston too!" Hayden exclaimed as she tapped on Valerie's number.

"It's ok, Valerie is still alive." Isla said. 

Valerie is a Houston, Isla repeated in her head. It had never occurred to her that killing off the Houstons would be this personal. While it did make a lot of sense, a part of her was still confused.

"How can you be sure?" Hayden asked, hanging up before Valerie had the chance to answer.

"Because I checked." Isla said.

"But if killing them was unintentional, why did you want to know who all were dead?" Hayden asked, cocking her eyebrows in suspicion. 

"What are you trying to imply?" Isla asked.

"That you're not as innocent as you claim to be," Hayden said, looking at Isla straight in the eye "What did she offer to you?"

"What are you talking about?" Isla asked.

"You know, Valerie has a way with words. I wouldn't be surprised if she convinced you." Hayden said.

"I'll tell you what she offered to me if you do the same." Isla said.

Hayden's phone vibrated in her pocket. She reached out for it and noticed that it was Valerie.

"Hello." Hayden said as she answered the call.

"Why'd you call?" Valerie asked as she yawned.

"Did I wake you up?" Hayden asked.

"Yes, you did." Valerie replied.

"I need to talk to you. Preferably soon." Hayden said.

"Alright. Good night now." 

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*'

The sun rose again. The sunlight brightened the room to reveal an empty bed. Neither Isla nor Hayden were present, both of them having different things to do.

Hayden had received a message to meet Valerie at the Houston's manor. It didn't seem like a good idea but she decided to comply anyway.

That was hours ago. She was now standing on the wooden floors of the living room, which was surprisingly neat.

"You made it." Valerie said.

"It's been days since I told you about the whole rebirth thing and you told me you'd figure it out." Hayden said, hoping for answers.

"I thought you weren't interested." Valerie said as she threw herself onto her couch, crossing her legs over each other.

"I just figured that if I knew something, I'd be able to use this to my advantage." Hayden said.

"I'll tell you this, I have been researching." Valerie said.

"And?" Hayden asked, hoping for a lead.

"You're going to have to wait. I am busy now anyway." Valerie said.

"With what?" Hayden asked.

"There's no one stopping me from pursuing science anymore. I'm going to go back to it." Valerie said, a genuine smile formed on her face.

"Good for you." Hayden said, glancing at the corner of the room.

"You want to say something?" Valerie asked.

"How'd you get rid of the bodies?" Hayden asked.

"Nothing that magic can't do." Valerie said, meeting Hayden's gaze at a dried bloodstain on the wall.

"Were they really that bad?" Hayden asked.

"Listen. I'm not about to pity them, especially since I was the one who wanted them dead." Valerie said firmly.

"But don't you-" Hayden began but was cut off by Valerie.

"You want your answers, you'll get them." Valerie said, Taking the hint, Hayden walked out of the door, her eyes focused on Valerie.

She tried to scan her face to see if she felt any remorse at all. Valerie's hazel eyes were neutral, her posture not giving away information either.

Valerie looked at the door to see that Hayden had left. She waited for a few seconds and decided that no one was looking at her.

She climbed the mighty stairs with ease and stood in front of her mother's room. She placed her hand on the handle and clicked it open.

Her lips curved into a smile as a pungent smell hit her nose. It was the smell of death.

Corpses lay on top of each other, forming a heap of dead bodies. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since their demise and even so, the scent was unforgettable. 

It was sickeningly sweet, as if rotting meat was mixed with a few drops of cheap perfume.

Valerie walked inside, kicking one of the many bodies' hands to the side as she walked to the vanity mirror in front of her. She pulled the handle, revealing a book covered by dust. She blew it off and flipped the pages in a hurry before something caught her eye.

Her eyes scanned the page swiftly and with every word that she read, her smile grew wider.

The room felt colder than before, a sudden smooth breeze caressed the exposed skin of the back ofher neck, as an omen of victory.

Things just got interesting.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: EEEE NEW CHAPTER IS OUT!! I'M ENJOYING WRITING THESE CHAPTERS A LOT MORE NOW!! WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS CHAPTER!?!? IF YOU LIKED IT, THEN VOTE AND COMMENT PLEASE!! HAYDEN IS BACK NOW BUT I PREFER WRITING VALERIE, SHE'S MORE INTERESTING. LEMME KNOW UR THOUGHTS ON THE CHARACTERS TOO! OK, THAT'S IT!! BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!